Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hulking Mt Orjen (1893m) separates Herceg Novi from Hercegovina and is higher than
the more famous Mt Lovćen, the 'black mountain' itself. Patches of evergreen maple and
white oak can be found amongst the rugged limestone karst on the lower slopes, giving
way to firs and beeches above the winter snowline.
It's a great landscape for hiking and mountain biking, but you'll need to be well
stocked with water as any rain that falls here quickly disappears into the porous karst. For
six months of the year there is snow on the mountain and even on a scorching summer's
day you should be prepared for a storm.
A hiking trail commences near the bus station at Herceg Novi (look for the red and
white painted markings); heading towards Kotor take the first road to the left, followed
quickly by a right turn. This is the start of the mammoth Coastal Mountain Traversal hik-
ing path, which leads all the way to the shores of Lake Skadar.
Planinarski Klub Subra
(
www.pksubra.me
;
guide per day €70)
, the local mountaineering club, oper-
ates two huts on the mountain and can arrange guides.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
MOUNTAIN MAGIC
We asked Marko Vučinić, a member of the Subra mountaineering club, about exploring the mountains around
Herceg Novi.
Tackling Mt Orjen
You can walk straight up from the bus station to the Za Vratlom mountain hut, which is a tough four-hour walk.
Or you can drive to the old Motel Borići [now defunct], where it's an hour's walk to the hut. You'll need good
boots though - sports shoes aren't enough - and at least 3L of water on a hot day.
From the hut you can explore Orjen on day hikes as there are over 60km of marked tracks. Guides are avail-
able through the club. People should remember that this is a real wilderness: they're still discovering caves and
unknown features on Orjen. And the weather can change suddenly, so you have to be prepared for all conditions.
You can also theoretically continue on the seven-day Coastal Mountain Traversal [a 150km hiking route from
Herceg Novi to Lake Skadar], but logistics are the problem. There are only two huts and well-marked paths for
the first two days. For the rest you'll need to carry everything: tents, food, water...
If You Don't Have Boots
One easier walk from Herceg Novi is the track up to Sv Ilija, an Orthodox church on Ilinica. It's great at sunset -
you get views over Croatia and Montenegro. There's a communal grave for French soldiers there dating from
Napoleonic times.
It's about a 16km loop walk from Herceg Novi. Follow the water's edge through Igalo and then either look for
the marked walking trail heading up or continue on to the village of Žvinje and head up from there.
